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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240836">The disappearance of Makoto Naegi</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaiyakiSquid/pseuds/TaiyakiSquid'>TaiyakiSquid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Naegami fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Completed, Confused Naegi Makoto, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Fake Character Death, Faked Suicide, Feelings Realization, Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I wrote this at school, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Love Confessions, M/M, Makoto Naegi Whump, Makoto is a precious boy, Monokuma (Dangan Ronpa) Being An Asshole, Naegi Makoto Is a Little Shit, Nightmares, Soft Togami Byakuya, Spoilers, Takes place at the beginning of Chapter 5, The later chapters are mostly fluff, Togami Byakuya Being An Asshole, Togami Byakuya Has Feelings, Togami Byakuya Not Being an Asshole, Togami Byakuya has daddy issues, Togami Byakuya is Bad at Feelings, Whump, chapter 5/6 spoilers thh danganronpa, don't ever give monokuma ideas, kyoko is a good friend, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:33:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240836</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaiyakiSquid/pseuds/TaiyakiSquid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc spoilers!!)<br/>Life has been difficult at Hope's peak academy, and things have just been getting worse. With the recent death and recent trial, things have been quiet. But after some hopeful thinking, the group decides to have some fun, and play a prank...<br/>Little did they know, they gave Monokuma an idea.</p>
<p>O R<br/>The mastermind, tired of the lucky student's interference, decides to dispose of him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kirigiri Kyoko &amp; Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko &amp; Naegi Makoto &amp; Togami Byakuya, Kirigiri Kyoko &amp; Togami Byakuya, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, just everyone being pals</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Naegami fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>362</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A little idea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(DANGANRONPA: TRIGGER HAPPY HAVOC SPOILERS)<br/>Please, play this game! It's absolutely wonderful, and tons of fun. It's better blind, so don't spoil yourself!</p>
<p>Hoo boy though. I've been working on this puppy for a while now,,, I'm super excited to start it! We have quite a few plans for the fic, so tags may change. I hope you enjoy it though! And if you do, please leave a kudos and or comment- They feed my family qwq<br/>(Y'all make me so happy though, thank you for the love on our last fic!)<br/>Anyways, enough rambling.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed to be a quiet morning… Stepping into the dining hall felt odd. The quiet was uncomfortable, and it was so empty. Compared to when there were all 15 students, six seemed quite measly.</p><p>The suicide of Sakura was… Shocking to almost everyone. And Aoi- Or rather Hina, hadn’t been taking it well. She sat at the table, quiet. A few tears rolling down her face. </p><p>Makoto swallowed the lump in his throat, before breaking the silence. “Good morning, everyone…” He trailed off, before walking over and standing next to Hina. The small brunette put a hand on Hina’s back in an attempt to comfort her. “H-Hey Hina…” He paused “Everything will be alright...” Makoto said, a weak smile forming on his face. </p><p> </p><p>Hina wiped away her tears. “T-Thank you, Makoto…” Hina paused, before smiling “I know! A donut will be sure to cheer me up!” A wide smile stretched across her face.<br/>
“Hina, it’s 7 a.m. Are you trying to ruin your health?” Byakuya said, looking down on them. Hina shot up out of her chair with a seemingly sudden burst of energy, and making a ‘hmph’ noise. “Don’t be so mean! Donuts make everything better!” Hina said, a triumphant smile on her face.<br/>
“Keep that attitude up and you’ll be like Hifumi one day.”<br/>
“You’re so rude! Do you ever think about other people’s feelings?”<br/>
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t really care about how you feel.” He said, monotone with a flat expression. “Liar! You totally do. I bet you couldn’t handle it here without us.”<br/>
“I would be perfectly fine.” Byakuya said with a confident smirk, crossing his arms as he looked down at the group like they were a bunch of peasants.<br/>
“Fine then!” Hina huffed, puffing her cheeks. “We’ll show you wrong somehow.”</p><p>“Come on now, let’s get breakfast and find what opened up in the school.<br/>
“Well, I’ll be waiting until then.” Byakuya said, exiting the dining hall. “Oh~ Master! Wait wait wait wait!” Jill said, chasing after the tall blonde man.<br/>
“Stay put, dog.” Byakuya said as he left for his dorm. ”Anything for you master~ I’ll always be your bitch!” Jill said with a wicked laugh as she did what she was told.</p><p>Makoto sighed slightly, as Hina huffed.<br/>
“He’s so rude! Honestly, who does he think he is…”<br/>
“I mean… That’s just how Byakuya is I guess.” Hiro shrugged, before yelling as he dropped the incense he had been burning onto his lap.<br/>
“Are you okay Hiro?- That’s gotta hurt-” Makoto said, before Hiro ran out of the room, yelling ‘fuck!’ as he ran.<br/>
“He totally burnt his dick!” Jill laughed.<br/>
“H-Hey, that really hurts you know…” Makoto whimpered out in an attempt to defend Hiro.<br/>
“Is it because of that time Celeste spilled her tea all over you?” Hina mentioned. Makoto’s face turned a bright red, choosing to keep his mouth shut from now on.</p><p>A moment later, Hiro returned (with an ice pack), and sat back down. Silence once again filled the dining hall, until Hina spoke up.<br/>
“Hey! We should do something to get back at Byakuya! It might be fun.” She giggled “Like fill his room with chickens! O-Or give him a donut filled with hot sauce!”<br/>
“Don’t you dare harm Master! I’ll make sure I’ll chop off those melons in the process of killing you!” Jill screamed, pointing her scissors at Hina.<br/>
“Hey! We wouldn’t hurt him! It would just be a prank!” Hina explained.</p><p>“A prank?” Kyoko asked, walking out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand.<br/>
“Oh hey, Kyoko! We were just planning on pranking Byakuya for being such a big meanie to us.” Hina said.<br/>
“What if we all died and pretended we were ghosts to scare him?” Hiro said, slowly recovering from the burn.<br/>
Hina sighed. “That’s stupid. How are we gonna pull that off?”<br/>
“Actually..” Kyoko began to think to herself. “What if we all hid one day and see what he does? That would be quite an interesting experiment.”<br/>
“Minus the ghost part, that sounds good!” Hina exclaimed. Hiro looked beaten up.<br/>
“Well, where are we going to hide?” Makoto asked, finally choosing to speak up.<br/>
“I call hiding under Master’s bed!”<br/>
“We could just hide inside of a classroom, or ask Monokuma.” Makoto paused “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting a little involved if we can’t find a place.”</p><p>“Did someone say Monokuma?!” Monokuma yelled, popping up out of nowhere and interrupting our conversation, as per usual.<br/>
“Why are you here?!” Hina yelled, huffing “You always make things worse…”<br/>
“How mean… HOOOW BRUTAL!” Monokuma yelled, making a ‘rawr’ noise before continuing “I’ll be happy to help you all- Of course, assuming someone doesn’t get MURDERED!” The bear laughed, before disappearing again.<br/>
“My crystals are telling me this is a bad idea…” Hiro whined.<br/>
Kyoko smirked. “Don’t worry Hiro, I’m sure this’ll all go according to plan. We’ll just need to make sure not to take it too far.”<br/>
“Yeah… I just hope Monokuma doesn’t do anything.” Makoto mumbled.<br/>
Finishing their breakfast, the group went on to explore the 5th floor of the school.<br/>
Makoto curiously looked around, making his way to what seemed to be a garden. Upon his way in, he was overcome by the scent of pure nature for the first time in a while. </p><p>“Hey, Makoto! Check it out!”<br/>
Makoto looked over to see Hiro peeking into a box-like thing.<br/>
“What is it, Hiro?” The small boy questioned as he looked at what Hiro was so fascinated by. It was a chicken coup, with exactly 5 chickens in it.<br/>
“I’ve named them all already! Their names are Hina Jr., Toko Jr., Kyoko Jr., Byakuya Jr. and Makoto Jr.!” Hiro said with a big smile.<br/>
“That’s just all our names with ‘Junior’ next to it…” Makoto sighed.<br/>
Hiro didn’t listen to Makoto, and was completely indulged in those chickens. Makoto stepped away from the chickens, moving to the shed where he found some pretty neat things. Lastly, he learnt about the sprinkler system that goes off every day at 7:30 AM. Figuring out that he’d learned enough, he exited the room and made his way to the dojo.</p><p>“Pretty, isn’t it?”<br/>
Makoto did a small scream, before realizing it was just Kyoko.<br/>
“O-Oh hey, Kyoko…” Makoto said hesitantly. Kyoko giggled at the frightened look on his face.<br/>
Not making much conversation, Makoto looked around. He didn’t really take note of anything important, so he left giving Kyoko a little wave. </p><p>Looking around, Makoto didn’t choose to look in the classrooms, as they always had nothing in them. Heading back to his dorm, he noticed Toko step into one of the classrooms, before immediately fainting. Concerned, he rushed over to the classroom, only to see a crime scene.<br/>
“Oh, welcome Makoto.” Byakuya said sternly. Makoto let out yet another scream, before Byakuya hushed him down.<br/>
“Nobody is dead. Calm down.” Byakuya ‘re-assured” Makoto.<br/>
After poking around, and talking more to Byakuya, Makoto decided to leave. He wanted to get out as soon as he could anyway, the smell of this room combined with Toko already wanted to make him vomit more than the sight of blood.</p><p>The rest of the day went as usual… Well as usual as it gets at Hope’s Peak Academy. Makoto spent time with Byakuya- Not doing anything in particular. Right now, he was just sitting next to the other man. Usually, the man just ignored Makoto as Makoto tried to make small conversations, but despite his aloofness, at the end of the day Byakuya always had a small smile on his face.  </p><p>Makoto sighed, stumbling into his room at Hope’s Peak. After a long day of discovery, he needed a good night’s sleep. He threw off his shoes and jacket on the floor before making sure his blanket covers all of his body. Cuddling his teddy bear close to him, he began to doze off...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sprinklers and Colds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hiro is stupid, and Makoto starts to feel ill...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holy shit I finished pretty quick, I'd say!<br/>TW for the next chapter, which'll include suicide, gore, blood, and just general yowchies.</p><p>Anyways, I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“MAKOTOOOO!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the first thing Makoto Naegi heard when he woke up that morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shoving his blankets off his bed, he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to see what the hell was going on in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hiro began to shake Makoto violently in order to wake him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m… awake…” Makoto said weakly, shoving away Hiro’s hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna go to the sprinklers with me?” Hiro asked suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto only grew more confused from there. “Sprinklers…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! It’s pretty refreshing.” Hiro didn’t wait for Makoto’s answer after that, and dragged him out of bed. After some talking over it and getting Makoto awake enough to use his two feet, they made their way to the garden area.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto took in the soothing smell of the room while Hiro immediately rushed to the chickens. After Makoto and Hiro had a nice conversation and joked around with the chickens, the Morning Announcement came on. Hiro prepared himself for the sprinkler by taking off his shirt. Makoto seemed quite… appalled from the thought of taking off his shirt around others, but he did it anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Byakuya decided to head to the garden. He assumed the sprinklers would be done by now, or done soon. The blonde man made his way to the 5th floor…</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon arriving, Byakuya came across Makoto and Hiro dancing in the sprinklers together. Hiro was being as loud as ever, as Makoto tripped one too many times.  Byakuya opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you two doing?!” Byakuya yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re just having fun! Sorry we left you out.” Hiro said as Makoto tripped and landed on his face again. “Ow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byakuya sighed. “You idiots are going to get sick like this…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry! I predicted that we’ll be perfectly fine!” Hiro exclaimed with a dumb smile on his face. Suddenly, the sprinklers stopped as a whine came from Hiro. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now put your clothes on and get to the dining hall, Hina thought you both were completely undressed.” Byakuya ordered them, making his way back to the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto felt a chill but put it to the side. ‘It’s probably from getting wet’ he told himself. Makoto got his hoodie back on, as Hiro put on his own sweaters. The two made their way back to the dining hall, followed by Byakuya, who looked somewhat frustrated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an awkward explanation of how Makoto and Hiro </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>prancing around naked in the garden, the dining hall was mostly quiet as people ate their breakfast.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ooh! Makoto, we should talk later about the plan!” Hina commented, before biting into her donut (which seemed to be chocolate)</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Right- That sounds like a good plan Hina.” Makoto smiled weakly- Something felt off, and his breakfast wasn’t sitting quite right with him either, as if he was ill. Makoto brushed it off as just being cold from getting wet, and kept a smile on his face.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what plan are you referring to?” Byakuya asked, suspicion on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh- no need to worry Byakuya!” Hina smiled</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That’s oddly suspicious, Hina.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Wellll- Do you want a donut Byakuya?! They’re totally delicious!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your loss!” Hina then took a huge bite out of her chocolate glazed donut while Makoto sat there freezing, staring at the rest of them eating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After finishing up, they all went to their places of hanging out with each other. Makoto always called this time ‘Free Time’, as he could do whatever he wanted, and talk to whoever he wanted. He made his way out of his dorm and decided to hang out with Byakuya. He didn’t know why, he just loved spending time with the tall blonde despite how rude he is. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it, Makoto?” Byakuya asked as the small boy made his way closer to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I just wanted to hang out with you Byakuya… I thought it would be fun.” He answered nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. I have some time to waste, anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After spending some time with Byakuya, Makoto began to feel… sleepy…</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“How do you still not understand?” Makoto paused, confused. “Understand what?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’ve been sacrificing all of this valuable time of mine for </span>
  <b>your </b>
  <span>sake. But it’s all amounted to nothing. We simply have nothing to talk about.” The tall blonde paused, before continuing “We could talk forever and a day, and I would gain nothing from it.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“B-But, the more we come to understand each other-” Makoto was cut off</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You and I will </span>
  <b>never </b>
  <span>understand each other. We live in different worlds. Our ways of life, our ways of thinking, are totally incompatible. You’re a loser, so go ahead and live your loser life, make a bunch of loser friends. Then together, you can lick each other’s loser wounds.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Makoto looked away slightly, looking down. “You don’t have to keep saying loser…” He trailed off. “Whether your self-indulgence is a lie or not, it doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, I’m going to keep on fighting, and keep on winning.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That’s one thing that will never change.” He continued. “But having to win all the time… Doesn’t that make your life kinda hard?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Such is the fate of the chosen.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Listen, I’ve been meaning to ask you… You keep talking about ‘the chosen’... What does it mean?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Byakuya paused, before slightly smiling. “Fine. If I’m going to waste of time with you anyway, I may as well explain this one last thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>As Byakuya explained his history, Makoto just felt sleepier and dizzier. He was fighting to stay upright, and he just felt so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>cold. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought he heard someone say his name… But he couldn’t say for sure.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next thing Makoto knew, he was in his dorm room bed with Byakuya sitting beside him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coughing, he wearily asked Byakuya “W-What’s going on…?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You fainted, Makoto. You have a fever. This is why you don’t run around and do stupid things like run in the sprinklers.” Byakuya said, lecturing Makoto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto managed to get out a ‘sorry’ before he coughed some more.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Why are you-” Makoto coughed.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“The others made me stay here with you, I just so happened to lose the draw. Don’t think anything of this. Just shut up and rest.” The man said, as cold as ever.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“R-Right. Thank you, Byakuya.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The blonde’s face slightly softened, before finally responding, “Here. Have this. I know you like it.” Byakuya said, handing Makoto a small chocolate milk carton. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H…Huh? How did… you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You drink it every morning. Besides- … I do listen to your stories. They can be… Mildly entertaining at times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto stayed silent, taking the chocolate milk and drinking it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” He said happily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byakuya looked away as if trying to hide his face. “You should probably change out of those clothes before you sleep- They did get wet earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…You’re not my dad…” Makoto wearily strikes back. Byakuya then decided to zip his mouth. If the boy didn’t want his advice- He wouldn’t bother to say it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…I’m going back to my dorm.” Byakuya announced a few minutes later, making his way out of the brunette’s room back to his own. Makoto set his chocolate milk on the table and decided to take Byakuya’s word and change into pajamas. After changing into his pajamas he slipped under his blanket, hugging his teddy bear close to him. He felt cold- And as much as he tried he couldn’t quite fall asleep… He entered almost a half-sleep, not quite paying attention to anything, but not being able to fully rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>A few moments of silence passed by until Makoto was awakened by footsteps in his room. Concerned, he quickly peeked from under his covers. He saw a figure, standing over him with a knife… It was definitely a woman, and she had quite long hair- It couldn’t be Kyoko- Before he could see who was there, the figure wad gone. Somewhat panicked, Makoto sat up, realizing just how dizzy he was. Looking around the room, he saw nothing… Suddenly, a hand grabbed him. The boy began screaming before his mouth was covered with a towel… Now </span>
  <b>very </b>
  <span>panicked, the boy tried to claw at whoever was holding him, but with how dizzy and weak he felt, it wasn’t doing much of anything. Just before trying to scream out a “help!”, he felt himself slip into unconsciousness...</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hoo boy,,, Poor Makoto. </p><p>If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos! We'll hopefully have the next chapter out tomorrow.</p><p>~Taiyakisquid</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Freezing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hiro's chicken goes missing, and Makoto feels very, very cold...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>!!!TRIGGER WARNING!!!<br/>TW for:<br/>-Suicide<br/>-Self-harm<br/>-Hanging<br/>-Gore<br/>-And general uneasiness.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Another morning at Hope’s peak academy… Kyoko and Hina were chatting away at a table, as Byakuya stood watching. The peace was interrupted by Hiro running into the dining hall.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“GUUUYS! Makoto jr. has gone missing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Makoto… What?!” Hina questioned. Makoto himself didn’t seem to be here either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The chicken!” Hiro yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one cares if your stupid chicken is missing.” Byakuya responded coldly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hina huffed. “Hey! You don’t have to be so rude!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyoko, of course, took a sip of her coffee. “The actual Makoto is missing too, you know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After hearing that, Hiro began to panic even more. “Did Makoto take his chicken and escape the school?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wouldn’t be dumb enough to not notify us.” Byakuya said. He knew Makoto- he wouldn’t leave his friends behind. At least he thought so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, whatever! We need to look for him!” Hina shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyoko put her coffee down. “I’ll search the first floor, Hina searches the second floor, Hiro searches the third floor, Toko covers the fourth floor and Byakuya does the fifth?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go!” Hina shouted, bursting out the dining hall and running to the second floor. Everyone followed up behind her, Toko being the slowest because she could care less. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Walking through the hallway, Kyoko first checked Makoto’s dorm. She knocked on the door cautiously. Upon not receiving an answer, she opened the door. To her surprise, it was unlocked. Her confusion and concern only grew as she found his bed all messed up with a brown teddy bear on the ground. “What happened here…” She mumbled to herself. She kneeled down, picking up the keys to his room that had been left on the floor. After looking through a few drawers and checking the bathroom, she decided there was nothing in the dorm.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The purple-haired student continued through the entirety of the first floor, only to find nothing. She sighed, making her way upstairs. The worst-case scenario loomed over her… But remaining calm, Kyoko started to do her own investigating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hina decided to grab one of the deceased’s e-handbooks and first go into the boy’s changing room. In there, of course, she found nothing. She then looked in the girl’s changing room to also find nothing. Moving to the pool, all she found was some donut crumbs from when she and Sakura ate together here…She treasured these memories, but she had no time to mourn. Continuing her side of the search, she headed to the library. “It’s always so dusty in here…” She sighed, looking and poking around. She noticed the extension cord was gone- Someone probably needed it for something. Looking at it still gave her shudders from… “Chihiro…” She paused slightly “There’s no time for this! I’ve got to find Makoto!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hiro looked through the art storage room first, thinking some stupid thing could’ve happened like Celeste’s case. Of course, he was wrong and nothing was out of the ordinary. He looked through the art room, the rec room, etc. with no avail. He decided to go check on Hina’s investigation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toko huffed, speaking to herself about how she didn’t want to look for this good-for-nothing. There were not many places she could look at on this floor, so she first went to the music room where she found nothing (who would’ve thought). Sighing, she looked through the classrooms. Nothing. The bathrooms. Nothing. In the chem lab, all she found was a broken glass bottle, with some shards missing. Toko gave up her investigation, and decided to sit in one of the classrooms writing her next story on a piece of random paper- Byakuya would of course be the star.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speaking of Byakuya, he started his search by entering the garden room. He wasn’t surprised to notice that Makoto left a sock there. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘How forgetful…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought to himself, scoffing slightly. He continued to explore the garden, not finding anything of interest, he sighed. “I suppose I’ll check the shed and chicken coop…” He trailed off, as he noticed a slight blood splatter around the chicken coop, with one of them missing. It was bright red, meaning it was quite new. Byakuya was starting to fear the worst, remaining calm, He checked the shed. Finding this area hopeless, he rushed to the dojo where he again found nothing. On the verge of giving up, he swung open the door to Classroom B… </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Makoto woke up- Immediately sitting up. His head spun- And he could tell he was sick. The person from before was gone, and the room was cold… And dark. Quite dark. He looked around- </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Shelves, table, tarps…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>He paused before mumbling aloud “Blue lights…?” Makoto finally called out “H-Hello? Is a-anyone there?” He stuttered slightly and waited. Upon being met with silence, Makoto slowly stood up, sitting down atop the tops, and curling into them “I-It’s so cold… I’m so cold…” He stammered- Before getting an idea. Climbing between the two tarps, Makoto curled up, trying to sleep. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why is it so cold? The floor is icy so it isn’t just the fever…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, before finally dozing off again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya pushed open the door to class 5c and froze...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strung up from the lights, held by a rope. The smell of blood filled the room, and there was a puddle of the crimson red liquid forming at the bottom of what was hung...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto hung, strung up by a rope. His arms and legs cut up- The flesh almost just completely ripped off in some areas. His washed-out hazel eyes, cloudy, and dead... Even though they were open, he didn't look alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His neck appeared to be broken- And he was entirely limp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arms and legs resembled lasagna. It wasn’t just small cuts, but instead massive chunks of meat and flesh- To the point, you could see bone and tendon. The dark crimson blood rolled from the large gashes to the floor, where it slowly dripped out, coating the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten separate occasions he had been met with the smell of blood and death and the imagery of a friend dying. But for some reason... This was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya took a shaking step forward- He couldn't think. The room was spinning, his mind was spinning. The one thing he could think-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped to his knees. Tears falling down his face. He couldn't think- His mind was blanking. He felt sick. His mind was yelling at him to pull himself together, to get up and start investigating, to even check for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pulse, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but alas, he just sat there… Unable to move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the worst timing ever, Kyoko peeked in the room to see what the deal was. She gasped herself from the shock. She paused, noticing Byakuya on the floor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll wait for him to calm down before I get everyone…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She silently decided to herself, beginning to look around the room… Something felt off to her, though… There was a razor blade near the door, also near some blood… It itself was covered in blood, a desk near the body had a knife on it, also covered with blood. Next to it, was a folded paper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kyoko continued to investigate, and around 10 minutes later, Byakuya stood up, up and wiping his eyes, and putting his glasses back on. He swallowed, knowing he would have to get everyone- Before pausing. Noticing Kyoko there, he instantly panicked. She had seen his whole breakdown. Almost on instinct he firmly said, “You better not tell anyone about this-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was cut off by Kyoko hugging him. “I know how hard it must be. Take your time here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byakuya couldn’t hold back his tears another time and began sobbing in Kyoko’s arms. Kyoko comforted him as best she could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G-Go get the others…” Byakuya said after he was done. He wiped away his tears and prepared his tough boy act for the others. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Kyoko nodded and didn’t even have to leave the room. “What the he- AAAAAH!” A loud scream escaped from Hina’s mouth as she burst into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-What the-!” Toko came running in after, almost immediately fainting from her extreme hemophobia. Hiro came in after, also screaming at the top of his lungs. </span>
</p><p><span>Through the screams and tears-</span><span><br/>
</span><em><span>“Ding dong ding dong”</span></em><em><span><br/>
</span></em><span>The announcement clicked on… “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the </span><b>class trial</b> <span>will begin!” The voice of Monokuma came over the speakers, filling the room and cutting everyone quiet. The announcement faded out, and silence engulfed the room for a moment… This truly meant that Makoto Naegi was in fact dead.</span></p><p>
  <span>“No… No!” Hina began to cry to herself as Kyoko put her hand on Hina’s back to soothe her. </span>
</p><p><span>Kyoko clenched her fist. “We’ll destroy whoever ‘dunnit’.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>… Meanwhile-</span><span><br/>
</span><em><span>“Ding dong ding dong”</span></em><em></em><span></span><br/>
<span>The announcement clicked on… “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the </span><b>class trial</b> <span>will begin!”</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Makoto opened his eyes, shivering violently… He slowly sat up. “S-Somebody d-died…?” He paused “S-Someone help! I-I have to g-get out- o-of here!” But it didn’t take long for the boy to collapse again, exhausted and cold.</span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAA we got the chapter done! Sorry if updates are slower, Squid is moving.<br/>This bad boy was fun to write- but also quite sad, poor Makoto and Byakuya (╥ ╥)<br/>Hopefully, the next chapter will be out tomorrow or the next day, but because of the move it may be more difficult. I hope you enjoyed!</p><p>~Taiyakisquid</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Investigation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The preparations for a class trial begin...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh boy this took a while,,, Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The room was quiet for a moment… Before Hina broke the silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “W-Well there’s only one possible person! Byakuya!” She sobbed, before continuing “He’s the only one who ever hated Makoto! It-It must’ve been him! It’s all his fault!” Hina screamed, tears rolling down her face. Kyoko paused, before frowning “We can’t decide that yet, everyone. We need to all investigate.” Hina paused, wiping her tears. “R-Right… You stay here though! I don’t trust </span>
  <b>
    <em>him </em>
  </b>
  <span>not to mess with stuff!” Hina yelled again, her voice full of venom when referring to Byakuya, who was standing there with a numb expression on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko nodded “I’ll stay here, you two do your own investigating.” She paused, before adding onto the end “Try to calm down before the class trial.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Hina gave a small nod. “You won’t get away with this.” She glared at Byakuya, before leaving the room, followed by Hiro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Kyoko sighed, before walking over to Byakuya, gently pushing him back and sitting him down on a chair, forcing him to stay sitting, and calm himself down. Byakuya was obviously embarrassed by the gesture, quickly nodding his head. Kyoko then stepped back to look at the crime scene in full. And thus, her personal investigation began.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Makoto rubbed his eyes as he awakened from the sudden blackout. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What was happening…? Oh yeah… the body discovery announcement…!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He stumbled back on to his feet before tripping on something and landing face flat into the ground. Whining, he carefully hugged his knees close to his chest and hoped that the others could do it… Slowly, he went limp, his eyes fluttering shut. As his nose and fingers felt numb he wondered… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Would this be the end?</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko started her investigation, taking a step back and looking at the scene as a whole</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko started off her investigation by examining the body. It already seemed a bit off to her already, but she couldn’t tell what it was from all the wounds. Hina was bringing Toko back to her room, Hiro had gone off to do his own stuff already, and Byakuya was facing the other way, so she took a chair and used it to look eye-to-eye at the body. First, she noticed the thing used to hang the body- an extension cord like Chihiro’s case. Next, she took a closer look at Makoto’s face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Something is off with his eyes…’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a closer look at the eyes, Kyoko noticed they were slashed and unable to be identified. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W...What are you…? I’m not even going to ask.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko turned to notice Byakuya finally looking at her analyzing the body. Byakuya still looked sick to his stomach- Kyoko could tell he was trying with his entire being to hide it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, I'm glad you feel better...'' Kyoko muttered before noticing a smudge of… concealer on her glove. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Huh… weird…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>She thought to herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Putting that to the side for now, she decided to stop her analysis because she’s not that insensitive to Byakuya’s feelings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You rest a little more, I’ll carry on the investigation. Tell me when you’re ready to do your part.” Kyoko insisted, to which Byakuya nodded his head. She then looked at the crime scene around them in a little more detail. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A bloody razor, a bloody kitchen knife, and a folded note…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It then came to her that earlier there was a missing kitchen knife from the wall like in Sayaka’s case. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Good to know…’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Storing that thought in safe keeping, she picked up the folded piece of paper next to the bloody weapons. Carefully undoing its folds, she read the context inside...</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry everyone, I really can’t take this anymore. Just please, make it through this killing game without me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>-Neagi Makoto</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘This feels off...’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kyoko thought to herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘His last name…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She set down the note, turning around, she noticed Byakuya had tears falling down his face. She paused, walking over. “Take a moment to breathe… Would you like me to tell you everything I’ve found?” She said, gently sitting down on a chair next to the blonde man. He looked embarrassed, closing his eyes and putting a hand over his face, before mumbling “Just spit it out…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There was a knife missing from the 1st floor kitchen, and it seems like he’s been hung by the same wire Chihiro was hung from.” Kyoko could tell Byakuya was starting to get more uncomfortable, covering his entire face with his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure you don’t want me to stop?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya looked up at Kyoko. “Just- say it!” He demanded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko nodded. “His eyes were cut with a sharp object, and… the note.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does the note say…?” Byakuya asked, struggling to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko looked at Byakuya, genuinely worried. “...Are you sure you want to know?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can deal with it, Kyoko.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko could tell that was the most half-assed lie Byakuya has put together, but she passed it to him anyway. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The same words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry everyone, I really can’t take this anymore. Just please, make it through this killing game without me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>-Neagi Makoto</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They rang through Byakuya’s head. He put the note down, not even realizing the tears streaming down his face. He slowly looked down, clenching his fist and obviously shaking. Kyoko patted his back before she got up to get him some coffee and leave him be for a bit. So, Byakuya sat there, alone. Just him, and Makoto’s body… Just him, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Makoto’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>body, sitting in the room… The smell of blood was like a punch to the gut. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why him…?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>The Togami heir thought to himself… Before repeating outloud “Why him…” He paused, wiping his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Out of all people… Him. It could’ve been me, even.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>So why </span>
  <b>
    <em>him</em>
  </b>
  <span>?</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko came back a few minutes later, placing a warm cup of coffee into Byakuya’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kyo-“ He was quickly cut off by the purple-haired girl “I’m going to go investigate. I’ll tell you what I find once I’m done. I know how hard this is, but we’ll find the one who did it.” Kyoko reassured Byakuya, slightly smiling.</span>
</p>
<p><span>Byakuya looked down at his coffee, embarrassed. She was treating him like a child. Granted, he was the one crying… Trying to hold back his tears, he nodded his head. “Good. I’ll be back before the trial.” Kyoko left. Once again leaving him, alone. Just him, and the body… </span><b><em>his</em></b> <span>body</span></p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>The first place Kyoko went was the garden. The scent of flowers and nature filled her- Despite how nice it was, she was gritting her teeth. She checked the chicken coop, confirming that one of the chickens, named ‘Makoto Jr.’ by Hiro, was missing. She sighed, stepping away from the coop, before noticing a little bright red splatter… It was fresh. Bending down, she examined the blood, and came to her conclusion. She sighed, looking at her purple cloves, slightly smeared with blood and foundation. She’d wash them later.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She walked through the hallway, popping into the rooms on the 5th floor, before making her way to the bio lab. She made her way over, trying to open the door. When it didn’t budge, she sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Still locked…’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning around, she left to the fourth floor…</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His nose was completely numb, he couldn’t feel his face… He gently touched his fingers together… They were also numb. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The lucky student sighed, slumped against a wall. He moved his legs back to his chest, pushing his hoodie over them. “So cold…” He mumbled, before hearing a sigh… He quickly got up after hearing footsteps, stumbling. It was </span>
  <b>so cold</b>
  <span>. shaking, he made his way over to the door, starting to bang on it. “W-Wait!- Wait! I’m in here! Please! Com-Come back!” He stuttered, before slowly slumping back onto the ground. It was so cold… Makoto barely felt like he could move- he couldn’t quite think, as his vision went black, and he fell unconscious… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking through the fourth floor, Kyoko hadn’t found anything helpful. As she continued walking through the floor, she entered the chem lab… There wasn’t much of importance, besides for a shattered bottle on the ground… Bending over, she inspected the pieces… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing, she slowly stood up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It just isn’t lining up…’</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought to herself, before leaving the lab. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Kyoko continued her search, poking in on the rooms and finding nothing. With a disappointed sigh, she continued back to classroom 5C. Pushing open the door, she entered the room, cringing slightly at the heavy smell of blood and death combined with the bitter coffee. Byakuya was sitting in his seat crying again, he didn’t even manage to take a sip of his coffee. Kyoko walked up behind him and put a hand on his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko tried to reassure Byakuya to cheer him up.“I’m sure we’ll find the blackened.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya immediately wiped his tears and attempted to pretend he wasn’t just crying. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Why do you care about him so much? You never liked him. Stop it.’ </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Just- tell me what you found…” Byakuya demanded her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A blood splatter around the kitchen coop and a broken glass in the chem lab.” Kyoko responded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“None of this makes sense…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After contemplating who could’ve done it, a familiar ‘ding dong ding dong’ played throughout the halls.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An all too familiar black-and-white bear popped up on the monitor screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um… I’m getting bored, and you probably have enough evidence as you need anyways. On that note, it is time for the class trial! Please meet up at the usual location.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bear chuckled as the screen fell blank. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... Let’s go, Byakuya.” Kyoko demanded. The hostility in her voice even made Byakuya slightly afraid.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Soon enough, they had all made their way to the elevator and began to go down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stepping in, they all took their stances at their respective spots as the teddy bear, most well-known as Monokuma, sat on his throne. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After he repeated those same words he said over and over again to talk about how the trial went, he finally said what the group had all been waiting for:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let the class trial… begin!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I FINISHED AHA! It took a while but I'm not dead, really. It was just hard to write this chapter. <br/>Poor Byakuya though :( I hope you enjoyed! </p>
<p>~Taiyakisquid</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Class Trial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The class trial begins...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>New chapter hoo boy-<br/>&gt;&gt;TW FOR SUICIDE, DEATH, AND GENERAL DESPAIR AND MISFORTUNE.<br/>Enjoy the chapter! It's extra long :))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>“We don’t even need a trial! We all know it was Byakuya who did it!” Hina shouted venom, and hurt seeping through her voice. She had her fist clenched, and her expression was painted with anger and hatred.<br/>“Hold on. We need to take a closer look at this. What killed the victim?” Kyoko’s voice was calm, despite the entire situation. Byakuya felt a pit in his stomach. Maybe he did kill the lucky student, but…<br/>“H-He was hung…” Hina continued, the Togami heir was barely paying attention now, consumed in keeping himself from getting sick.<br/>“Yes, but more specifically, his neck was snapped. This causes swelling of the spinal cord and interrupts blood flow and nerve signals in the brainstem, leading to death.”</p><p>“So Byakuya snapped his neck! What does that change?!”<br/>“No, a hanging done properly snaps the neck. Besides, you forgot one detail.”<br/>“W-What?”<br/>“Think back to when Makoto was sick.”<br/>Byakuya froze, pausing while thinking about the sick boy…</p><hr/><p><br/>“He just passed out?” Hina questioned, cocking her head to the side.<br/>“Yes. He was running a fever. Honestly, he’s absolutely an incompetent fool.” Byakuya said, voice stone cold. “We should take turns checking on him!” Hina smiled, continuing “That way we know he’s safe!”<br/>“Good idea, Hina.” Kyoko smiled, “I’ll check on him first, then Togami, and lastly Hiro. Hina, you can give him his room key back in the morning.”<br/>“That sounds good! Maybe I should bring him some of my healing crystals.” Hiro chimed in, grinning like an idiot.<br/>“And why should I check on him, Kirigiri? It serves me no benefit.” Byakuya retorted, obviously annoyed.<br/>“Because I told you to. And you’ll do it.” Byakuya opened his mouth to protest before the purple-haired student left. </p><hr/><p><br/>Byakuya exhaled, almost relieved…<br/>“He couldn’t have done it. After Hiro checked up on Makoto, who was fine and asleep, <b>you </b> had the room key Hina.”<br/>“S-So-”<br/>“Hina is really suspicious… D-Did she kill Makoto?! Why would you do that, Hina!” Hiro yelled, looking close to tears.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Byakuya stood silently. He had to be strong. He was the Togami heir, he was above all of this. Silly pointless feelings would only get in the way, who needed those things? He didn’t care that Naegi was dead. The hoodie-wearing brunette served him no purpose besides annoying him. He didn’t care that the boy was dead. He was a Togami. He did not miss him. He didn’t feel any pity. He didn’t miss the way the boy smiled and laughed… That adorable smile. No- <em> No. </em> He wasn’t thinking about these things.<br/>The boy did not ever tug on his heartstrings. He didn’t like it when the boy annoyed him for hours every afternoon, he did not care.<br/>And yet here he was, once again close to breaking. He couldn’t be showing these things, he had to win. He’d win the killing game, and leave, and take the throne of the Togami family, he’d have 15 children with all sorts of women, he’d be exactly what he was meant to be.<br/><br/>But… He couldn’t shake the feeling… This feeling his gut was telling him. That he wanted to spend that time with Makoto Naegi.</p><p>He once again felt sick, before firmly closing his eyes, and opening them again.<br/><br/>Locking away those feelings. Those feelings of-</p><p> </p><p>“I am not the killer. I had no motivation to kill Naegi, and there is no evidence pointing to me. Your accusation is weak, Asahina.”<br/>“But you’re the murderer! You h-hated Makoto! Who did it then?!”<br/><br/>Kyoko paused, Byakuya knew what was coming. He froze up, as the purple-haired student presented her evidence.<br/>“The note. All of the evidence points to-”<br/>“No! That’s not right! None of that is right! Byakuya did it! He did it!”<br/>“Let me list this then. You had the room key, Makoto was safe when Hiro saw him. Byakuya was up with us during breakfast, and there was no sign of forced entry. All of the evidence points to one thing.”<br/>… Everyone was quiet before Byakuya said the one word on everyone's mind.<br/>“Suicide.”<br/>He looked down, he felt so <em> sick, </em> he was shaking, and he felt like his stomach was a pretzel. Hina covered her mouth, shaking, tears rolling down her face. “N-No” she choked out, before sobbing.<br/>“Ohhhh, such despair!” The black-and-white bear grinned, laughing, “You better hurry up, though! You need to vote the blackened!” The bear cackled, as Hina wiped her face.<br/>“Who will be voted the blackened! Will you choose correctly, or will you vote the dreadfully wrong one!”<br/>“Shut up, lowly bear.” Byakuya growled. Naegi wasn’t just a victim… He was so, so much more...<br/>“Don’t talk about this so lightly!” Hina yelled, determination seemingly returning to her.<br/>“If Makoto were here… He’d want us to have hope! W-We can’t turn on each other now, we’re all we have!” Hina continued a small smile on her face. Despite her teary eyes, and cracking voice, she truly seemed to have determination.<br/>“This is borrrrring! Times up!”<br/>“Wait, we didn’t have enough-” Byakuya was cut off, “Too bad! Just vote already!<br/>Silence filled the room, as everyone reluctantly voted… A moment later, Monokuma laughed.</p><p><br/>“And so, for the death of Makoto Naegi-!”<br/>“N-No, that’s wrong!”<br/>Everyone’s eyes widened, Hina covered her mouth, Kyoko gasped, Hiro screamed, and Byakuya… Stood mouth-agape. The frail brunette was standing there, his face pale, and somewhat shivering. A moment later, the boy collapsed with a ‘thunk’.</p><p>“Is Makoto Naegi himself! Puhuhuhuhu~!” </p><p>Everybody stood there in shock as they watched Makoto lay confused on the ground. </p><p>“AAAHHHH! IT’S A GHOST!” Hiro screamed, pointing at the boy’s freezing body.</p><p><em> ‘Just as I suspected…’ </em>Kyoko thought to herself. “That’s the real Makoto.” </p><p>Byakuya watched the swimming prodigy pick up Makoto’s fragile body in more confusion than anyone else in the room. </p><p>“M-Makoto-!” Hina shook Makoto, trying to get him to respond. Makoto pushed the swimmer away. “I… I can stand myself…” Makoto said wearily, shaking as he stood on his own two feet. </p><p>“Aren’t you dead?” The blonde man stared at Makoto.</p><p>“This would be the perfect story to write-!” Toko whispered to herself. </p><p>“I-I’m what?- I-I was i-in-”</p><p> </p><p>“Enough rambling! It’s getting boring!” The sick headmaster waved his bear fists in the air.</p><p>“I think it’s time for the punishment!” Monokuma laughed as he slammed his hammer on the button that started the execution, giving the others no time to react. </p><p> </p><p>He couldn't explain his reaction at all. Something just seemed to... Click in him. Makoto Naegi... The ultimate lucky student. The boy was small, thin, with thick brown hair, with a prominent ahoge that just never stayed down. The Togami heir would've never admitted it, but he cared for Makoto. He loved the boy. How he'd giggle constantly, how he always was cold, even though he had a hoodie and jacket, how he always managed to solve the class trials. How he was so... Hopeful. He understood it, now. The crushing despair the man felt, seeing the boy strung up to the ceiling lights. Now he was standing there, shaking, confused, but unharmed. ... Safe... <em> Alive</em>. If Byakuya's father were to see him now, at this moment, he'd be called a fool. An idiot. But he didn't care. He didn't care about taking his family's throne anymore. He didn't care about anything but protecting the brunette man in front of him. He couldn't go through the despair of seeing Makoto Naegi die again. </p><p> </p><p>So he ran over, wrapping his arms around the frail brunette.</p><p> </p><p>Makoto was freezing cold, Byakuya cringed slightly at feeling it, but paid no attention. "Don't you dare touch him, you filthy-!" He was cut off, as the floor opened up beneath them. "W-Wh-" Makoto began, before screaming, grabbing onto the blonde man. It was so <em>warm </em>... Makoto was shocked at how warm the man was. But the warmth was short-lived.</p><hr/><p>Everything felt like it went back, and next thing the two boys knew, they were sat down on a chair at a desk... Makoto was sitting on top of his lap, with metal bars keeping their arms, legs, and bodies in place. There was a robotic Monokuma in front of them, hitting a chalkboard. Makoto slightly screamed as the desk began to move backward... They then heard a loud <em> 'bang!' </em> and then another... And another... Each time, it shook the two boys. The silence between them was deafening... before realization hit. Makoto screamed out, tears streaming down his face. They could barely hear anything over the banging and loud machines. Makoto struggled, tears continuing to fall down his face. "T-This isn't right!- I- I didn't k-kill anyone!- ..." The lucky student froze as the banging got louder, letting out a sob, and turning around to face the blonde. "I'm so sorry... I-I'm so sorry Togam--” He paused, tears rolling down his now red cheeks, “... I-I'm so sorry Byakuya!" He yelled, his face going white. Sweat and tears poured down his face. </p><p> </p><p>He let out another sob, as the banging got louder and louder, closer and closer... Byakuya could not move, he was completely frozen, and he realized... He'd never seen the lucky student cry. He was always so happy, so <em> hopeful </em>... And here they were.</p><p>A heavier realization soon hit, though.</p><p><em>They would die.</em> <em>They'd be squished, Puréed. </em></p><p>
  <em> He'd never get out of this killing game. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He'd never get to be the heir of his family. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He'd never get to tell Naegi that- </em>
</p><p> </p><p>His thoughts were cut short, as there was the loudest bang thus far... As it rose back up, he could feel the air on his neck.</p><p> </p><p>They were next.</p><p> </p><p>A few tears fell down the <b>(un)</b>lucky student's face before he tightly closed his eyes. Byakuya balled his fist, closing his eyes.</p><p><em> 'This is it, this is the end... This is where I die.' </em> He thought to himself. A single tear fell down the man's face, as he waited.</p><p>It felt like the conveyor belt went as slowly as possible... As the two boys were positioned under the crusher. Byakuya opened his eyes, looking at the machine above him... He tightly closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally for pain, and then nothing.</p><p>This was the end of the line. This would be the last thing he thought, the last time he breathed...</p><p>The last time he would feel Makoto...</p><p>
  <em> He'd never feel those butterflies in his stomach again... </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He'd be able to- </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Both boys opened their eyes, confused. Nothing had happened... And they looked up, seeing Chihiro- No, Alter Ego- On the screen... Shocked, both boys didn't even notice them falling backward, before they were almost upside down. Makoto looked shocked...</p><p> </p><p>His mind was blanking, and as the young man blacked out, he had one last thought...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> If this was where he died... He'd never be able to tell the brunette that he loved him. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hoo booyyyy,,, 1813 words. I'm kinda fucking exhausted. Taiyaki actually wrote quite a bit of this at school lmao-<br/>Really proud of this one though! I hope you all enjoyed it. </p><p>Also, I cried writing the ending.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Love.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys wake up... And realize a couple of things.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>,,, howdoyousummarizechapters- But we finished it! And she sits at a glorious 2281 words.<br/>Hope you enjoy! You're in for a treat &gt;:)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The white noise of the world slowly faded in… As Byakuya Togami began to regain consciousness, he was immediately hit with a few things.<br/><em> He was alive. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> The smell was… Terrible. </em> His eyes didn’t quite want to open yet… He slowly brought his hand up to his nose, covering it. <br/><em> And he felt someone on top of him. </em></p><p>That realization snapped the blonde heir’s eyes open. <br/>Makoto Naegi was alive. The brunette was lying against Byakuya, seemingly still unconscious. Byakuya let out a sigh of relief. His only thought being <em> ‘Thank god he’s safe’ </em> . <br/>The taller man slowly reached out and rubbed his thumb against Makoto’s cheek, worried as to if this was all just some sort of trick.</p><p>But Makoto didn’t vanish or stir. He just felt Makoto’s soft skin… Which was icy cold.</p><p> </p><p>If it weren’t for the brunette’s chest rising and falling as he peacefully slept, the blonde probably would’ve panicked. Continuing to notice how cold Makoto was, Byakuya took off his jacket, draping it over the boy. Looking at the boy’s face, nothing seemed to matter. The world melted away, all he needed was to stay here, holding Makoto Naegi close to him.<br/><br/>He wrapped his arms around Makoto, almost protectively. It didn’t matter anymore, how disappointed his father would be, how weak he would seem… None of that mattered. He could just hold the small boy, and nothing mattered. The blonde felt butterflies in his stomach- He finally understood what they were now. He just wanted to hold the lucky student forever, and never let go.</p><p> </p><p>Until he finally had to piece together what was happening.</p><p> </p><p>He looked up, the place was… dark. And the time was unknown. He and Makoto were about to be crushed… <em> Did ‘Alter Ego’ save them? </em> He continued to look around, trash piled high and all around them. Looking down, he realized the only reason they probably survived, was that a pile of trash broke the fall. <br/><em> ‘That’s the source of the smell, then.’ </em> <br/>It didn’t take a detective to figure that one out. <br/>The next thing he spotted was a door. Jackpot. He just had to wait for Naegi to wake up, and then it would all be okay. They’d figure it out. It just mattered that they were together. </p><p>He wasn't used to these feelings, whenever he was with Naegi, he always just pushed it to the side. But now, his heart felt as if it was beating out of his chest, and his stomach was filled with butterflies. It was a warm feeling. As the world melted away, he lovingly gazed at the lucky student's face.</p><p>Byakuya felt like he was on cloud nine. <em> Everything could wait. </em> Sure, it smelt terrible, sure, everyone must think they were dead, but it didn't matter. For now, The brunette was lying on his lap, adorably asleep.</p><p>Right now, all that mattered was the warmth between them.</p><p>Byakuya was snapped back into reality when the boy's eyelids fluttered, and he sneezed. It didn't take long for Byakuya to melt again.</p><p><em> 'Why is he so cute...?' </em> He thought to himself, before realizing:</p><p> </p><p>Makoto was waking up.</p><hr/><p>Something jolted him, as the fog in his mind slowly cleared... Makoto slowly rubbed his eyes, before softening. He had been so cold, but now he was warm, being held close to a chest... He could feel their heartbeat, whoever it was. Melting, he was just about to close his eyes. Before he could, the brunette was hit with a disgusting smell, like a cold hard punch to the nose. He cringed, before taking in his surroundings. His dull green eyes looked around the space, before realizing he was in a dark room, being held by the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.</p><p> </p><p>His next realization was that it was difficult to think, <em> almost like a fog </em>. He didn't mind it, though.</p><p> </p><p>"W-Where..." The boy stammered, before continuing, “Where... A-Are we...?" He mumbled slightly. His voice was hoarse and quiet, trying to cling onto consciousness. He was still cold, but the blonde man holding him was making it better. </p><p>"We're in what seems to be... a trash pit under the school..." The Togami heir answered, his voice more gentle than usual.</p><p>Makoto's brows knit together. <em> 'A trash pit...?' </em> Before his thoughts could continue, Byakuya gently rubbed the back of Makoto's neck.</p><p>"Be quiet. We're safe."</p><p>“O-Oh…” Now with that confirmation, Makoto could care less in the state he was in; without thinking, he clung to the Togami successor’s shirt, gripping onto him, and snuggling up to him. His consciousness was fading to black. He took in the scent of the man's- cologne? <em> No... The blueberry perfume he gave the blonde... </em> He felt one of the taller man's hands on his back, the other running through Makoto's hair. Makoto couldn't help himself, mumbling, "Warm..." He felt himself go completely limp, as everything went quiet.</p><hr/><p>Byakuya was somewhat startled by the boy cuddling against his chest but quickly melted into it, running his hand through Makoto's hair. Upon realizing Makoto was asleep, he smiled. </p><p>God, his father would be so <em> disappointed </em>. Here he was, thinking a normal average boy was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. As hard as he'd tried to push down his emotions, blocking them out entirely, they were still there.</p><p>It made him think...</p><p>Maybe this was right. Being here with the lucky student... Maybe, just maybe, this was what he wanted- No- <b> <em>Needed.</em> </b></p><hr/><p>"Wha-Wha?!" The bear yelled. "That pesky virus got into my network!" The bear huffed "Oh welllll, they're definitely dead <b>now</b>!"</p><p>“How could you do something like that?!” Hina yelled violently at the black-and-white teddy bear. </p><p>“<em> Puhuhuhuhu~ </em> That’s what Byakuya deserves for interrupting punishment!” Monokuma laughed, thinking they fell to their death or at least would rot until they did. </p><p>“T-This isn’t fair! Makoto… Wasn’t dead!” Tears were streaming down the swimmer’s face. She covered her face, falling to her knees and sobbing, Toko went off at Monokuma. “H-H-How dare you to kill M-Master! I-I’m g-gonna kill you f-f-for this, you f-filthy bear!” </p><p>“Ahahahaha! Nice one.” Monokuma brushed off the threat. </p><p>“D-Don’t ignore m-me, you-“ </p><p>Kyoko put her foot down. “Come on Toko. No time to mourn. Let’s get out of here.” The light-haired girl spoke as she dragged Hiro out of the trial room, him looking the most shocked out of anyone.</p><p>Toko grunted and chased after the two, death glaring their wicked Headmaster before she went back onto the elevator. </p><hr/><p>The ultimate Affluent Progeny didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he woke up his senses were assaulted with the smell of filth. Just a reminder of the fact that <em> none of this was a dream. </em> <br/>He sighed, looking down at the small boy, lying against him. He hated what he had to do, but he knew he had to do it.</p><p><br/>He gently shook Makoto awake, who groaned before sitting up. He opened his eyes, meeting Byakuya’s blue eyes with his own faded green ones. <br/>“W-What happened…? Did I fall asleep…” Makoto jumped slightly, turning red. <br/>“Don’t worry about it, Naegi. You were showing symptoms of hypothermia.” Byakuya paused, before continuing, “Now, where <b> <em>were </em> </b> you?” <br/>“I-I was in the bio lab…”</p><p>Byakuya’s eyes widened at that answer. “And why were you there?”</p><p>“I-I don’t know… My fever was pretty bad, and I woke up hearing something in my room. There was somebody there- It was definitely a girl. S-She grabbed me from behind, and I passed out… When I woke up, I was in the bio lab… I didn’t know it then, and the door was locked. It was practically a freezer.” Makoto frowned. “I heard the body announcement, but I couldn’t do anything…”</p><p>Byakuya nodded, before inhaling.</p><p>“We realized you were gone that morning. When we went to check on you… You weren’t in your room.” He paused, swallowing.<br/><br/>The images replayed in his mind… The deep crimson blood, and the Brunette being strung up by the white extension cord. His arms and legs mutilated, the white tank top he was wearing completely covered in his own blood. <br/><br/>“When I entered classroom 5C, I saw,” He paused, swallowing again. Since when was this so <em> difficult? </em> “You. Hanging with the extension cord, strapped to one of the lights. You were completely mutilated.” <br/>“Granted, that probably wasn’t you.” <br/>“W-Wait so that trial…” <br/>“Was for you, Naegi. The trial was for you. We… Voted it as a suicide.” <br/>Makoto hesitantly nodded, “I-I think I understand… Come on then, we need to find a way out of here!” Once again, there was Makoto Naegi, being hopeful, determined, <em> adorable. </em></p><p> </p><p>His heart was beating out of his chest, and his stomach was full of butterflies. But he nodded. “Well, I can’t get up with you on me.” He said, hearing the gentleness in his own voice. He mentally cursed at himself, as hard as he was trying to act how he normally would, he just couldn’t.</p><p><br/>“R-Right! Sorry, Byakuya.” The brunette chuckled, standing up. <br/>“Just don’t do it again.” The Togami heir stood up himself- Wincing slightly. He definitely had a bruise from the fall.</p><p> </p><p>Makoto was already walking around, before attempting to open the door.<br/>“No luck!” The lucky student called, “It’s locked.” Byakuya sighed at that. <br/>“Is there no other way out?”</p><p>“No, I looked. It seems, for now, we’re stuck here… All the food is rotten too…” Makoto trailed off near the end, looking down. <br/>“Right… So we’re stuck here to rot.” <br/>“I won’t give up!” Makoto called, a sudden look of determination and hope spreading across his face.</p><p><em> ‘God, he’s so cute.’ </em> Byakuya thought to himself, heart practically leaping out of his chest. <br/>“Right, we won’t give up then.” Byakuya couldn’t help but smile, and soon, a grin popped onto Makoto’s face. <br/>… Makoto’s cheeks were slightly flushed. <br/>“You look foolish with that grin- It suits your dimwitted personality.” The blonde man didn’t mean a word he said, Makoto Naegi was the cutest man he had ever seen. He loved him. WIth his full heart. He’d never really loved anyone, so this feeling was oh so odd to him. But he enjoyed it. He loved seeing Makoto smiling and happy, even in their current situation.</p><p>Byakuya Togami was a lovestruck fool, an absolute disgrace to his family, and an idiot.</p><p> </p><p>Yet, he didn’t mind that anymore. <br/><br/>“I guess we should just rest. If we save our energy, we won’t be as hungry right?”</p><p>“Sounds fine to me, Naegi. As long as you don’t end up sitting on me again.” He said, cooly. Even though he almost regretted saying it.</p><p><em> ‘Please, please sit on me again’ </em> He immediately felt his face getting hotter, realizing: He kept thinking about the boy. He kept falling harder and harder every time Naegi did anything- More like when he was even doing nothing! <br/>Byakuya covered his face, completely red. </p><p> </p><p>Neither of the boys knew how much time passed, but they both realized quickly there was nothing to do. So, they slept.</p><hr/><p>And an undetermined amount of time later, Byakuya woke up, groaning at the stench, and sitting up. Across from him was Makoto- Who he quickly realized wasn’t asleep, but instead lying there with his eyes closed. His face was flushed, and he looked to be quite uncomfortable. </p><p> </p><p>Concerned, the blonde stood up, walking over to the smaller boy and kneeling down, placing a hand on his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>Makoto was hot, very hot. <em> In more ways than one- </em></p><p>Pushing his… Perverse thoughts to the side, Byakuya concluded that the boy’s fever must’ve been back. With a sigh, he opened his mouth to speak- Before Makoto opened his eyes.<br/>“W-What’s happ-happening? I-I don’t… F-Feel well.” <br/>“Your fever is back, Naegi.” <br/>Makoto nodded. “O-Oh.” <br/>“Try to sleep again, Naegi. I’m going back to sleep.” <br/>“W-Wait!” The brunette weakly said, eyes brimming with unshed tears. <br/>“P-Please don’t l-leave… Please stay.” <br/><br/>As cold as Byakuya Togami was,</p><p>He couldn’t say no to that.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine, just until you fall asleep. No longer.”<br/>“T’nk you, Byakuya…” The boy said, immediately leaning against Byakuya, who in turn put an arm around Makoto. <br/>“No problem. This is a one-time-thing though, don’t get used to it Naegi.” <br/>“Kaaye~” The boy barely responded. He seemed content, now cuddled against Byakuya’s chest. Byakuya’s heart was pounding- He felt like he could hear it in his ears. He closed his eyes, inhaling. </p><p><em> ‘Why is he affecting me so </em> <b> <em>much?</em> </b> <em> ’ </em> He sighed, before smiling, running his hand through the other boy’s brunette hair. It was so unruly, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t keep it down. Byakuya ran his hand over the boy’s prominent ahoge, it immediately sprung back up. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his mouth. <br/>“... I think I know now…” Makoto mumbled, eyes barely open.</p><p>“Think what? Spit it out, Naegi” God, he was so <em> cute </em>when he was sleepy. Granted, part of it was his illness.</p><p>“No… I know f’r sure now…” The boy was getting quieter and quieter as he spoke.<br/>“Know <b>what</b> ? Tell me already.” <br/>The boy was quiet, before finally answering… <br/>“I love you.” <br/>Byakuya’s eyes widened, but before anything more could be said, the brunette was fast asleep. His heart was pounding. Did Makoto really love <b> <em>him? </em> </b> He had been so continuously cruel to the boy, he had interfered with investigations, he had gotten the boy executed! <br/><br/>But, it felt right. Having the boy close to him felt just <b> <em>right</em> </b> . Putting his arm fully around the brunette, he closed his eyes. <br/>Loving the boy felt right. He surely didn’t deserve it, but he didn’t care. He just wanted Makoto Naegi.</p><p>So, before he could stop himself, he said four words.<br/><br/>“I love you, too.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hoo boy, Taiyaki wrote lots of this at school-<br/>The story is nearing it's end, but for now, we have fluff. I'm totally in love with how cute this chapter came out, and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to comment and or leave kudos, the love was really overwhelming at first, but it's really motivating me to keep writing!<br/>Thank you for reading ≧◡≦</p><p>~Taiyakisquid</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tears.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sometimes, dreams manage to create fear.<br/>   Confessions, fluff, and love.<br/>And, well, tears.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>&gt;&gt; TW FOR HOMOPHOBIA, CHILD ABUSE, NPARENTS, AND SLURS &lt;&lt;<br/>&gt;&gt; IF ANY OF THOSE MAKE YOU UNCOMFY, JUST SKIP THE NIGHTMARE IN ITALICS. &lt;&lt;<br/>HOLY S H I T <br/>We updated pretty late,,, aha sorry- We should be coming out with a new chapter soon (It has been started, I swear!)<br/>Anyways, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Byakuya was back at home with a certain small brunette wrapped in his arms. They were laughing, just having a good time- this is probably the happiest Byakuya had ever been. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Byakuya?” Makoto looked up from his arms. Byakuya made a ‘hmm?’ sound.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you~” The boy said, snuggling close to him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you too-“</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly, a door shot down from behind them. Byakuya let go of his lover, turning around with a look of terror on his face. “Ki- Dad?!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What the fuck are you doing and who is that boy?!” His father demanded. Byakuya and Makoto were both speechless, unable to answer his question. “Answer me!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Makoto cleared his throat. “Sir, we were just-“</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Before the brunette could finish his sentence, he was lifted into the air by the throat. “No son of mine is a gay faggot!” Byakuya’s father screamed, gripping Makoto’s throat tighter. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Byakuya couldn’t do anything at that moment.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>All he could do was sit there and watch.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t even realize the tears streaming down his face.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Before he woke up.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>With a gasp, Byakuya Togami shot up, feeling sick to his stomach. Despite his blurry vision from a lack of glasses, he could make out the sleeping boy on his chest. With a heavy sigh, he brought one hand to his own mouth and tightly wrapped his other arm around the brunette boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach was in knots, a similar feeling to when he first saw the Lucky Student's corpse strung up to the classroom lights. He cringed, the scent of blood coming back to him. He tightly closed his blue eyes, making a silent promise to himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>'I will protect Makoto Naegi, at all costs.'</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt a stinging at his eyes- He didn’t have much time to react before tears fell down his face. It had been years since he cried. Not since he was a young child. Yet, it felt as if years of tears fell in the past day(?).</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Here he was, pathetically weeping over an unlucky, clumsy, ignorant, foolish, oblivious brunette named Makoto Naegi. His heart swelled looking at the boy’s face. And his stomach tied in knots remembering seeing him ‘dead’, or seeing his tears during the two boy’s execution. He could feel his own heartbeat racing, himself shaking. He held the sleeping boy slightly closer, listening to the other man’s heartbeat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was alive, safe, breathing. Granted they were slowly starving atop a pile of trash. It didn’t matter though, right now, Makoto Naegi was safe in his arms. Yet he couldn’t stop crying. A quiet sob escaping his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t deserve Makoto’s kindness or his gentle smile. He had been so cruel, he had made class trials more difficult. Yet Makoto loved him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he loved Makoto.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt sick, Byakuya trembled. The blonde shouldn’t be feeling love towards the brunette, not even a friendly bond. He was the Togami heir, and yet… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He clung tighter to Makoto, and inhaled, breathing in the boy’s scent. It was muddied from the trash, but it lingered. A sweet scent of chocolate and vanilla. It wasn’t considered ‘manly’, but he loved it. How Makoto simply liked the scent and used it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya slowly exhaled. He knew he couldn’t continue for much longer, or be too loud. He’d risk waking the lucky student if he did. Reluctantly, he softened his grip on the other boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t enough though, and he soon started to run his hand through Makoto’s brown hair. It was thick, soft, and surprisingly brushed out. Despite everything he went through, Makoto didn’t have any tangles in his hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya couldn’t recall the last time he had held another person this close. It felt so right, intimately holding someone close to him. A slow smile crept onto Byakuya’s face, moving his hand away from Makoto’s hair, and proceeding to cup his cheek. Makoto had soft skin and ‘squishy’ cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>God, now he was thinking about referring to Naegi’s cheeks as squishy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt his face heat up, blushing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned next to him, searching for his glasses. Finding the white pair, he slid them on, sighing with relief as he could see much clearer. He looked at Makoto’s peaceful expression and fully smiled. He wasn’t hiding it now or smirking, a genuine small smile graced his lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His smile dropped when he remembered a vital detail.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had to talk to Makoto about the previous… Night? Day? He had no idea what time it was. With a sigh, he accepted the unfortunate fact that he’d either need to ask Makoto, or Makoto would bring it up himself.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was snapped out of his thoughts to Makoto gently yawning, and slightly rolling over onto his side. He somewhat snuggled into Byakuya. Byakuya’s chest and stomach once again filled with butterflies, and the feeling of being on cloud nine consumed him, before he sighed, knowing he had to speak. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Naegi. Are you awake?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nnnm…” The boy moaned out, before answering “Five more minutes…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Despite what he just said, the boy sat up, looking somewhat confused.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Morning Byakuya- Er- Night…? How long was I asleep?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I don’t know.” The tall blonde answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so hungry…” Almost on queue, the brunette’s stomach growled, “But there isn’t anything here..” He sighed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I know… We just have to hold out. Unless you want to give up. Which would be quite disappointing.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Of course not! We need to hold out hope! I know we’ll get out of this.” Makoto grinned, seemingly more awake now.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Glad to see. Now that you’re awake, I needed to ask.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About what you said before you fell asleep.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya saw Makoto visibly freeze, and could feel the man slightly shake. His own heart started pounding and his stomach tied into a knot. He didn’t mean to scare the brunette, but he somehow managed it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘God, why am I such an asshole?’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“O-Oh… Y-You, remember that…? I-I didn’t realize I said it out loud- U-Uh-” The brunette stammered before Byakuya snapped.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I don’t </span>
  <b>want </b>
  <span>to make you feel bad. I want you to cut to the chase and tell me!” He paused, “Did you mean it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The silence was loud and uneasy. He didn’t think he’d ever had silence so uncomfortable. Not even with Kyoko when she was investigating the body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though it was silent, the noise was enough to make you go deaf. The unspoken words, and the panic, was more than enough. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Until it was finally broken.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I” Makoto inhaled, “I did. I did mean it.” He exhaled. The boy looked so hurt, so afraid. And then he slowly got off of Byakuya, standing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, Byakuya. I-I’ll go now.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything screamed at him to stop what he was doing, but it felt like Byakuya couldn’t control his movements. He grabbed Makoto’s arm- Firmly. He didn’t mean to grab the man so hard, but he did. He silently prayed it wouldn’t bruise.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Please, stay.” Byakuya finally said, words heavy. After a moment of silence, he added on, “Don’t apologize, Naegi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel Makoto shaking, and the boy finally gave a small nod. Sitting back down next to Byakuya.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya froze when he saw Makoto’s teary eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately placing an arm around the boy, he tried to force the words out of his throat, but they wouldn’t budge. What did he even </span>
  <b>
    <em>say?</em>
  </b>
  <span> He so badly wanted to comfort the boy, but he didn’t know how to. He had never been comforted himself, and he had never cared if one was upset.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t hear me say it earlier, so I’ll say it again.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He couldn’t go back after saying that. He felt so sick. As if his life were on the line, and finally, he forced out the words.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I love you, too. So please, don’t get so worked up Naegi.” His words weren’t as cold as usual. He mentally cursed himself when his voice ever so slightly cracked at the end. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Y-You-” He cut Makoto off, “Yes. I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could see Makoto’s tears threatening to spill over. And Makoto gasped, a smile slowly spreading across his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-You really mean it?” Byakuya couldn’t coldly respond to that, as hard as he tried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, he did the only thing he could think of.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He grabbed the brunette’s face, pulling him closer until he could lock his lips onto the other man’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto gasped, eyes widened, but he didn’t waste any time. He kissed back. Granted, he was sloppy. He had no clue what he was doing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t anything passionate, just sweet. The warm embrace lasted for a good 20 seconds, before Byakuya pulled back, keeping one arm firmly around Makoto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto grinned, hugging Byakuya and holding tightly onto him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was pure bliss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two men silently held each other for what felt like centuries. The world didn’t seem to matter any longer, because now they had each other. Byakuya ran his fingers through Makoto’s hair, and the smaller boy held Byakuya’s other hand. They were as close as you could get with Makoto sitting on the heir’s lap, and Byakuya having an arm tightly around Makoto. It wasn’t anything sexual or passionate, just gentle movements, like Byakuya playing with Makoto’s hair or rubbing his back, or Makoto absent-mindedly running his hand down Byakuya’s arms and thighs. It was small, but those little touches felt amazing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pure peace and quiet filled the dark space, and everything from the past few weeks melted away. The killing game didn’t matter right now, neither did Makoto’s false death nor did the fact they were in a trash pit. All that mattered was their fluttering hearts, and the boys holding each other as if their lives depended upon it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The peace was broken by Makoto speaking.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What’s wrong, Byakuya?” The blonde froze at that.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m fine. Why are you asking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Byakuya, I heard you crying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Naegi.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No, you're not! Stop lying, I want to help you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really, I’m perfectly fine now.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Byakuya I care about you! You don’t have to tell me everything, but don’t bottle it up!” Makoto yelled, grabbing Byakuya’s shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya froze, looking Makoto in the eyes, before sighing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Fine, you’re right Naegi. I was crying before you woke up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Makoto’s time to wrap the other in a tight hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto wasn’t tall, or physically strong. But he practically leaped up, hugging Byakuya.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You can tell me about it, I’ll listen.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I just had a silly dream, that’s all. Only a fool would worry over it for more than a second…” Byakuya trailed off, as Makoto glared up at him</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it upset you, it’s important to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew he had to tell the truth. Shakingly, he answered. Tone serious, he spoke, “Makoto.” The brunette made a </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘huh?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>noise before Byakuya continued, “Seeing your ‘corpse’... Makoto, I felt sick to my stomach. You know I can usually handle these things but… When it was you, it just… Affected me.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Byakuya…” The brunette mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… Think that’s the most despair I’ve ever felt.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Makoto froze at that, speechless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“After seeing you again, after the trial, and joining you in the execution… I realized I loved you.” The man paused, slightly biting his lower lip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And after last night… I had that dream. It was foolish, really. Nothing big… I just know my father definitely wouldn’t approve of our… relationship.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With those words, Makoto’s grip on Byakuya tightened, and Byakuya in turn hugged the boy back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh…” The blonde soothed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m alright now, Naegi. Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Byakuya, I should be the one asking that!” Byakuya was taken aback by Makoto’s teary eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine… I understand. I’ll talk to you, okay?” Pulling back, Byakuya gently wiped the brunette’s tears, “Now, tell me, are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto gently nodded. “Y-Yes… I just… I guess you could say I was scared.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“When?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When I was in the bio lab… It was dark and cold. And then w-when you heard what I said… I thought I wouldn’t be able to…” Makoto trailed off, and Byakuya completely silenced him with a gentle peck to the lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I scared you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“N-No! You didn’t scare me. I was scared that… We wouldn’t be able to spend time together…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Byakuya smiled at that, rubbing Makoto’s soft cheek. “Well, now we don’t have to worry about that, do we? We’re together now. And it’ll never be anything but.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>A smile crept onto Makoto’s face, and he leaned against Byakuya, letting the taller man’s heartbeat have his full attention.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I love you.” Makoto said, quietly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I love you, too.” Byakuya responded, leaning down and kissing the top of Makoto’s head.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re adorable.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re handsome.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shush.” He couldn’t help the wide smile on his face, as he put a finger over Makoto’s lips. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Mm, make me~” The boy hummed, a wide smile on his face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Fine.” The blonde put a hand over Makoto’s mouth, managing to pull Makoto closer into his chest. “There, I made you. Honestly, you should learn your place. Do me a favor and allow your two lips to connect and become one.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto mumbled something he couldn’t understand, Byakuya chuckled. The brunette seemed to be happy. Slightly frustrated, but happy. “Fine, fine.” Byakuya smiled, moving his hand. “You must admit though, </span>
  <b>
    <em>you </em>
  </b>
  <span>told me to.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Bully.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why don’t you keep your mouth closed, love?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto giggled at that.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t speak another word. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, though. It was peaceful. No words needed to be spoken, as everything they needed to know at the time was clear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They loved each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Byakuya smiled, looking down at Makoto, who had his eyes closed. He gently rested his head on Makoto’s, closing his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take too long for the two boys to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Absolute babies.<br/>Anyways, thank you all for reading! Hopefully the next chapter will be done soon.<br/>Before I end this, I'd just like to thank you for all of the support. It's crazy how much attention this little fic got, and it means so much to me! So really, thank you. <br/>I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Love you all.<br/>~Taiyakisquid</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. (Don't) Leave me.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They finally get to leave...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Second-to-last chapter ladies, gents, and enbies! I hope you all enjoy. This one is extra long!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>His senses flooded back to him as he awoke. He didn’t have time to react but was soon startled by a loud thud. With a gasp, Makoto sat up. He had been cuddled up with Byakuya, sleeping with him. Before he could be annoyed by being woke up, his attention was directed to a large trash bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it?” The blonde mumbled, sitting up and snaking an arm around Makoto’s waist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I don’t know, I think they dumped a giant piece of trash down here…” Makoto said, standing up. Cautiously, he reached his hand towards the bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A giant piece of trash? How rude.” The sweet but cool voice definitely wasn’t Byakuya. Makoto’s eyes widened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>She came.</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Emerging from the bag, the purple-haired girl stood. On her head- Was a cup of noodles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This place smells terrible…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. It’s a literal trash dump.” Byakuya said, tone ice-cold as usual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kyoko…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You two look like you’re doing better than I expected.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you here?!” Makoto asked, still in total shock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To save you two, of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto smiled at that- Before pausing. “Uh- Y-You have some trash in your hair…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko’s eyes widened, and she gave her hair a quick sharp shake, getting the trash out of her hair.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Here, before we do anything-” Kyoko pulled out two bottles of water and some bread, “Here, eat this before we leave.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Makoto’s eyes widened, and his mouth watered. Almost on command, his stomach growled. Within the next 10 seconds, Makoto was already inhaling the bread.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Thank you, Kirigiri. But, do you know how we're going to leave here? Or did you just come to starve here with us." Byakuya questioned. His voice was cold as usual, but he couldn't help but feel hopeful. He was quite shocked to see the ultimate student back, and he was thankful to now have some food and a possible means of escape. He bit into the bread, internally thanking Kyoko for bringing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm here to get you out, of course." She chuckled, reaching into her pocket, and pulling out a key, with a Monokuma head on the end.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is that? And how did you get it? Explain now, Kirigiri." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a key that can open any door in the school. And don't ask. It doesn't matter."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto's eyes lit up, and a smile immediately formed on his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God-,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Byakuya's heart fluttered seeing the boy so happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright! This is great! That means we can get ou-" The brunette cut off, unable to finish his sentence as he made a choked noise and coughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto choked on the bread.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>'God, he's such an adorable idiot...'</span>
  </em>
  <span> Byakuya immediately chuckled, patting Makoto's back. With a sigh, Byakuya opened the bottle of water and held it to the brunette's lips, making him drink it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you fine now?” Byakuya asked, keeping a hand on the boy’s back. Makoto coughed a bit more, before making a thumbs up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now we can get out of here.” Kyoko joked, a small smile on her face. She put out her hand to help the two up before they made their way to the door out of here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Makoto, would you like to do the honors?" Kyoko smiled, asking him as if he were a child. "O-Okay..." Makoto sheepishly answered. The brunette, on wobbling legs, walked away from Byakuya and weakly grabbed the key from Kyoko. Placing the key in the lock, he twisted it. And sure enough, the door unlocked, making a 'Click' sound. Byakuya didn't hesitate to walk over, swinging the doors open. They were met with slightly cool air, and another dark room... </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ahead of them was a long ladder, seemingly leading back up into Hope's Peak Academy- ...<em> Back to their 'Killing School Life'</em>. God, it was disgusting. Byakuya made a silent prayer that there wouldn't be a body, he truly didn't want to go through that again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto didn't waste time to begin climbing the ladder, and Byakuya followed. Byakuya felt the ladder slightly shake as Kyoko climbed on after the two boys. And soon, the hopeful trio was making their way up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While climbing, Kyoko cleared her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there something you’d like to say, Kyoko?” Byakuya asked in a tone much nicer than usual. He silently cursed himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While he disliked his father, there was one thing that Byakuya knew he'd say, that he agreed with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Makoto was making him go soft.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, actually…” The purple-haired girl sounded a bit iffy on what she wanted to say. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-You can tell us, Kyoko…” Makoto said, trying to get Kyoko comfortable with them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Later.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It fell silent again before it was broken by Byakuya.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How have the others been, Kyoko?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…” The girl paused, seemingly collecting her thoughts. “Toko has been shut up in her room the whole time. The only reason she’s still alive is Hina bringing her food. Hiro has been theorizing ways to get out of here with Hina, and I’ve been getting information with this Monokuma key.” Kyoko said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto let out a small gasp but quickly went quiet. Knowing Makoto, he was probably proud of Hiro.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...I see.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>After what felt to be an eternity, Makoto pushed open a hatch, climbing out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They found themselves in the trash room, back in the school. Makoto let out a relieved sigh, he felt himself shaking. He was so exhausted, and still hungry. He just wanted to sleep in a bed. He could barely stand, and he felt himself swaying more, before a warm arm wrapped around him. "Come on, Makoto." Byakuya quietly said, arm still firmly around Makoto to help him stand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>... He hated himself for having to ask this.</span>
  </em>
  <span> "Kyoko. Could you... Perhaps do us a favor?" The blonde man asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko tilted her head in response. "Hm? What is it, Byakuya?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tell the others that we'll meet them soon. We... Need to demand to redo that class trial."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The purple-haired girl smiled, nodding her head. "It's going to be nighttime in around 15 minutes, get some rest." She said, smiling. Kyoko turned, leaving the trash room- Probably to the dining hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto paused slightly "What was that for... C-Couldn't we have just seen them?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Isn't it obvious? You stink. Worse than Toko. Therefore, you need to shower before you sleep."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Y-You were there too!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Exactly, that is why I asked Kyoko to do that for us. And now, I can bathe, and so can you. Now, you get into the shower first. You're staying in my room tonight."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto opened his mouth to respond but was shut down by Byakuya dragging him off.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Kyoko entered the dining hall, brushing her skirt slightly. She looked up when someone called her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kyoko!" Hina yelled, running over, "Where have you been?! You just vanished! W-We were so worried that..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I am okay, Hina. I needed to tell you all something before the nighttime announcement."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is it...?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can one of you get Toko? This is important, and you all should know."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I call not getting her!" Hiro yelled, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hina groaned, running out of the dining hall.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A few minutes later, the silence was broken by Toko entering. "W-What is s-so i-important t-that y-you need m-me? D-Do you just w-want t-to m-mock me?!" Toko yelled, "I-It b-better n-not be a-another theory!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now that we're all here..." Kyoko started, "Byakuya and Makoto are back now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"BACK FROM THE DEAD?!" Hiro screamed, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They weren't dead, they were stuck in Hope's Peak's trash. Just as I suspected." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"W-Where's master?! A-Aaah, he must m-miss me!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, where are they?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Calm down. They're going to shower, and then go to bed. After all, there will be a class trial tomorrow."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A class trial?!" The three said, in unison. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course, after all... That body was still a corpse. And Monokuma lied to us."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Right..." Hina trailed off, "We'll just have to figure it out!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"W-Wait a-are they s-showing... T-Together?!" Toko yelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't know. Probably." Kyoko answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"H-How i-indecent!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't worry about it! If they have their socks on, it's not gay!" Hiro grinned, "Y-You're so stupid! I-I've been b-betrayed by m-master!" Toko tearily said, before running out of the dining hall. With a sigh, Kyoko brushed her hair behind her shoulders, "I will see you all tomorrow. Try to leave Makoto and Byakuya alone, they need rest." The undercover detective said, cooly. And with that, she left the dining hall, leaving Hiro, who looked quite spooked, and Hina, who looked concerned.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Their walk through the long hallways of Hope's peak was mostly silent, besides for their footsteps and breathing. Byakuya had his arm protectively around Makoto and was holding him tightly. Reaching Byakuya's room, the blond pulled out his room key, sliding it into the keyhole and unlocking the door. With a</span>
  <b>
    <em> 'Click'</em>
  </b>
  <span> Byakuya opened the door</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"W-What? I thought I was going to my room..." The brunette mumbled, his voice dulled with sleepiness and general sluggishness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No, of course not. You told me a woman came into your room and chloroformed you. I'm not letting you leave my sight, Naegi." Byakuya said, despite the cold way he spoke, both men knew it was out of care. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"O-Okay..." Makoto didn't defend himself or continue pushing, he just allowed himself to be guided into the room, "Now, Makoto... You need to shower. Just use mine, alright?" The brunette didn't speak, now, but simply nodded his head in compliance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good. Get yourself cleaned up, then." He directed Makoto towards the bathroom and sat down on his own bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya sighed as he heard the water start. The man started to take mental notes of what he needed to do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The blond opened a drawer, picking out a white shirt and blue shorts for himself. Byakuya paused, </span>
  <em>
    <span>'It may not be a good idea to go through his drawers...'</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shuddering at the thought of what the brunette may have, he decided on letting Makoto sleep in one of his shirts.</span>
  <em>
    <span> 'I'll give him the softest one, I know he likes those things.'</span>
  </em>
  <span> He immediately flushed bright red, realizing the thoughts crossing his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, Byakuya Togami was going soft. And he hated himself for it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He set the shirt down on the bed and took Makoto's dirty clothes and his own set of pajamas to change into. Opening the door to his dorm, he left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Making his way in silence to the laundry room, he couldn't help but play everything back in his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto's death, his reappearance, and their execution had happened all in a single day, and they had been in that trash pit for three whole days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>God, he probably stank.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He put the dirty clothes in the washer as quickly as he could and left for the bathhouse. The thought of being able to clean himself and have a nice bath sounded more appealing than it should to anyone. You don't appreciate being able to until you suddenly can't. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Hot water ran over Makoto's skin as if it was searing into him. He had no clue how long he'd been in there, and frankly, he didn't quite care. It took him what felt like hours to finally feel clean, and even then, it continuously felt like he was covered in trash and grime. He sighed. Running the soap over his body again. He knew he was clean, but he didn't want to leave yet. He was exhausted, mentally, and physically. He was probably still ill, and he knew that they'd have a class trial soon enough. Despite everything telling him to get out of the shower, he couldn't bring himself to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He probably smelt like Byakuya, now. The man had a distinct smell, one that he couldn't put his finger on, and his soap was definitely the source. The man on his mind made him pause. Byakuya's blue eyes, and blond hair... He was stunning, built, intelligent, observant, surprisingly patient, and one of Makoto's best friends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No, more than one of his best friends, now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the end, Byakuya was perfect. The perfect man- No- The perfect human. Makoto's heart fluttered just thinking about him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He'd stay by his side from now on. Nothing like what happened to Sayaka would happen to Byakuya, he promised himself that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved the feeling of Byakuya's warm arms around him or his hands on him. The gentle exchanges of touch they shared in the past three days were pure ecstasy to him. Small things like Byakuya looping his arm around Makoto's waist, or being able to hear the taller man's heartbeat would send his heart into a frenzy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Every little touch made him feel amazing. It wasn't necessarily sexual, he just liked being close to the tall blond. It was a different love than the one he felt towards his sister, parents, or friends. He'd say that he loved everyone in the school, even the ones who killed. But he loved them differently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto had loved Sayaka, he knew that. Sayaka was beautiful, gentle, and kind. And she made Makoto's heart soar, but she was gone now. And as much as Makoto denied it to himself, he knew deep-down, that Sayaka did hurt him, and what her true intentions were.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now, he tried to move on. Because in the end, he truly loved Byakuya Togami. The man was perfect in every way, and just perfect for him. He was having a difficult time going even five minutes without Byakuya holding him close... He yearned for the physical contact.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With shaking hands, he wrapped his palm around the shower's handle, turning it until the water stopped. He instinctively shivered, suddenly cold. Makoto stepped out of the shower, grabbing the fluffy towel. Makoto quietly dried himself off, paying special attention to his hair- Which was practically a sponge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to step back into the shower, but he wanted Byakuya to hold him more. So, he resisted and continued to dry himself off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Checking around the room, panic rose in the short boy as he searched for his clothes. Realizing they were gone, he walked to the door, calling out. "Byakuya! C-Can you hand me my clothes? They're gone!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waited for a moment and was met with silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"B-Byakuya?! A-Are you awake? I n-need my clothes!" He stammered slightly. He really didn't want to have to walk across the hall to his room, naked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was met with silence, once again. With a heavy sigh, Makoto peeked open the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon seeing no-one there, and his close nowhere in sight, he groaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he heard the door open, and close.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"B-Byakuya! Is that you? C-Can you give me my clothes?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, I should've told you. I left a shirt on the bed. I needed to wash your hoodie, anyway. It was filthy Makoto." Makoto sighed with relief, finally getting a response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now come on, they're on the bed." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto froze hearing that- Would he be changing? In front of Byakuya? He could feel his face desperately heat up. He was so frustrated- He was terribly embarrassed, but part of him liked it. The attention and feeling loved by the blond man was oddly addicting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Naegi? Is your fever back or something?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I-I don't think so?- S-Sorry." He stammered- Mentally cursing himself out. He could hear Byakuya sigh, and the bathroom door opened. With his eyes closed, the tall blond silently set the neatly folded shirt and shorts onto the counter, and left the small bathroom, shutting the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"There. Now can you change?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto slowly smiled, "Y-Yeah, I can." </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A few minutes later, Makoto looked at himself in the mirror, somewhat shakily. He was wearing Byakuya's clothes. His clothes that were too big for Makoto- They smelt like him. With a flushed face, Makoto turned around, exiting the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry for keeping you waiting."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just try not to do it again, Naegi. Are you ready to sleep? Or do you need me to read you a bedtime story." The way the blond spoke, yet teasing. Despite the words and tone sounding mean, it was quite loving. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"N-No! I can sleep."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I was pulling your leg. Your defensiveness leads me to believe that you actually do want that~" The man teased, tone softening. Makoto couldn't react, as quickly, Byakuya had grabbed Makoto and picked him up bridal style. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"B-Byakuya!" Makoto yelped, his face turning bright red.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What? It's obvious that you weren't walking on your own." He said, a smile slowly tugging at his lips. He carried Makoto to the bed, sitting down, while still holding the brunette.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Y-You didn't have to pick me up..." He trailed off, cheeks a shade of bright pink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You should be thankful I did. With how much you were swaying, you would've fallen asleep right there."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was swaying?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come on then, try to get some sleep."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... Hey Byakuya?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is it? Don't waste my time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... Did you really mean it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mean... What?" Byakuya asked, looking quite confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That... D-Do you really love me?!" Makoto blurted out, immediately blushing red and covering his mouth. Byakuya was silent for a moment, looking down. Makoto's felt his own heart sink, before Byakuya finally looked back up, pressing a gentle kiss to Makoto's forehead, while positioning the boy onto his lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course, I love you. I... Wouldn't lie about something like this."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto froze, smiling and wrapping his arms around Byakuya into a tight hug, "I love you!" He blurted out again, his grin growing wider.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... I love you, too, Makoto. Now come on, are you going to try and sleep? Or do I actually need to read you a bedtime story as if you were a toddler?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto didn't answer that. He was beyond happy as Byakuya wrapped an arm around him, and used his other to cup his hand around Makoto's cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're so foolish..." Byakuya mumbled, running his hand through the other boy's soft brown hair.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Byakuya paused, before pushing Makoto off of his lap, to which Makoto made a slight sound of protest.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Relax- Let me just-” Grabbing the object, he immediately passed it to Makoto and then sat back down. “I got your bear.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Makoto turned bright red, stammering, “T-Thank you!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Your welcome.” He smiled, getting into a more comfortable position, before patting the spot next to him. Makoto complied, snuggling up next to Byakuya.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Byakuya, in turn, wrapped his arm around Makoto. Pulling the blankets over the two of them just caused the two to become closer. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re so warm…~” Makoto mumbled, slowly turning and burying his face into Byakuya’s chest.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Mm, and you’re cute when you do that.” He mused back, smiling, “Try to sleep now- I don’t want to babysit you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re not…” Makoto mumbled, “Besides, didn’t you promise a story?~” He finished, teasingly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, fine then. Once upon a time, there was a lowly peasant boy. This lowly boy fell in love with a blond, tall, handsome prince. The prince, in all of his kindness, took great pity on the boy and decided to keep him as a pet. The end. Now sleep, Naegi.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A small <em>‘hmph’</em> came from the brunette. “Why do you keep calling me Naegi?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because it’s proper.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not some cute relationship thingie?” Makoto said like a clingy puppy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll call you my pet. Now sleep, pet.” Byakuya joked, petting the boy’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-Hey…” Makoto tried to fight back, but a yawn stopped him from doing so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde man brought Makoto closer to him, wrapping his arms around him. “Will this help?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A response didn’t come from the tired lucky student’s mouth, but he was enjoying it. He snuggled Byakuya as he drifted off to sleep. Byakuya took time to admire his new lover before he, too, fell asleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mm! Some good fluff. I hope you guys enjoyed! The chapter after this will be the final one, and I'm so happy to see all of the support. Your comments, kudos, and just you reading it makes my day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Hope.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Our story closes with some fluffy boys just happy to have each other and their hope.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holy. Shit. I'd like to apologize, thank you to all the readers who patiently waited for this. I hope you all enjoy this dumpster fire that switched formatting and writing style 5 times over the course of months.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     He awoke, startled. Usually, you’re drenched in sweat after a nightmare, yet, he was freezing. He didn’t even remember what happened, but he was terrified. He felt so- so cold. His nose was numb and the tips of he couldn't feel his hands but he knew they were shaking. His head was throbbing, banging as if it were a drum being hit. He was nauseous and dizzy. Tears sprang to his eyes and rolled freely down his cheeks. He didn’t even need to check, he must’ve been back in that- </span>
  <em>
    <span>… freezer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hot tears continued to fall down his face, his mouth was agape, and he was slightly sobbing. It wasn’t loud, he didn’t think. But regardless, he was alone. Oh- Oh so alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     Until he felt an arm wrap around him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “... Makoto?” The sleepy man murmured, voice barely above a whisper. Makoto didn’t answer, still openly crying. With a shaky breath, he slowly looked at the blond-haired man. He wasn’t alone. Sure, the boys had only been together for just a (few) day(s)(?), but he knew that the blond was the love of his life. With no words, he threw himself into Byakuya’s arms. He was now loudly sobbing, he just wanted to be held close, he just wanted to know the other man was there…</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “H-Hey- Be quiet…” The other man stammered slightly, before tightening his hold on Makoto, cupping the shorter’s cheek with his hand. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “Breathe… Your fever just came back. You’re okay though… Breathe.” The blond was never good at soothing people, it wasn’t a secret to anyone. But, he tried. And it worked. The lucky student’s breathing slowed, and he quietly breathed in Byakuya’s scent, things were silent between the two for the next few minutes, Byakuya just occasionally rubbing Makoto’s back, or Makoto quietly hiccupping. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>     “Are you fine now? Did you… Have a nightmare?” The man quietly asked, to which Makoto nodded.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “You’re safe, I promise. I won’t let anything hurt you again, after all, you’re mine now.” Byakuya smiled, kissing Makoto’s warm forehead. Makoto absolutely melted, snuggling into Byakuya, and finally mumbling,</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “I love you…” The brunette quietly said, holding onto Byakuya as if his life depended on it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “I love you, too, my pet.” The taller gently said, a smile tugging at his lips, as he ran his hand through Makoto’s hair. “Are you going to go back to sleep?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “Mmm…” The boy quietly moaned, “N’yeah… ‘M tired…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “Then close your eyes.” The brunette complied, shutting his eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     “Now, sleep.” … The room was silent for a few seconds. “I’m not’sleep…” Makoto mumbled again, and Byakuya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     “Well, you need to be quiet firstly. Secondly, I’m here to protect you. And I won’t let go of you. Okay, pet?” Byakuya wrapped both of his arms around the boy as he nodded. He didn’t really know how to feel about Byakuya calling him ‘pet’, but he adored the affection from his lover. The smaller boy felt Byakuya’s arms tighten around him, as he snuggled closer to the blonde man. Eventually, they drifted off to sleep once again.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The couple didn't recall being lulled into a deep slumber, but soon enough the room fell quiet as the two slept. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     Until the morning announcement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Makoto groaned slightly, hesitantly opening his eyes. Groggily, he sat up. The weight that had been around him only registered in his mind after Byakuya's arm fell onto the bed with a muffled thump. Makoto was confused for just a moment before memories from prior came back to him. As much as he wanted to lay back down and snuggle with his new boyfriend, he knew they needed to get up. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     "H-Hey Byakuya... Are you awake?" Makoto was met with silence. So he gently shook the blond. "Hey... Wake up."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     "... It's too early, Naegi." </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>     "The morning announcement has already played... We need to get up." The brunette gently said, to which Byakuya groaned, finally rolling over and sitting up. He grabbed Makoto's face, pressing multiple kisses to his forehead.</span>
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  <span>     "You're too insistent, Naegi..."</span>
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  <span>     "H-Hey!" The boy stammered- his face flushing. Byakuya responded to that by kissing the tip of Makoto's nose. “We need to have another class trial, quit it” He whined.</span>
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  <span>     "Don't sound so whiny..." Byakuya said, a slight smirk on his face. He gently grabbed Makoto's face again- Kissing him on the cheek, forehead, and nose repeatedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     Makoto didn't speak, letting his new boyfriend press gentle kisses to his face. Soon enough, Byakuya sighed and pulled back. </span>
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<p>
  <span>     He cupped Makoto's cheek.</span>
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<p>
  <span>     "Naegi-"</span>
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<p>
  <span>     He was cut off by a loud knocking at the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>     "Huh-" Makoto sounded, before Byakuya covered his mouth, "What do you need?" He said firmly in an angry tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So it is true!" The feminine voice said- Easily recognized as Hina, "So you're alive! Is Naegi okay?!" She yelled from outside the room. They could hear the excitement in her voice without even seeing her.</span>
</p>
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  <span>     "Wait- Nevermind I'll go ask him myself! Ooh, maybe we can go get some donuts and-!"</span>
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  <span>     "Wait just a minute Hina!-" Makoto called, climbing out of bed and trying to make his hair a little less messy. </span>
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  <span>     "I'm here... W-We were just discussing what happened and-"</span>
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  <span>     "Ohhhh... So you slept together! I had a hunch you two were dating!"</span>
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  <span>     "H-Hina!"</span>
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  <span>     "Hey, open the door for a sec. We need to talk." She said, suddenly a little more serious.</span>
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  <span>     Hesitantly opening the door, Hina was there smiling.</span>
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  <span>     "Hurry up and come to the gym, okay? We're gonna demand that we have a trial redo!"</span>
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  <span>     "O-Okay... We'll be there."</span>
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  <span>     "And Makoto..."</span>
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  <span>     "Huh?-" He was cut short by a tight hug from the ultimate swimmer, warmly smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm glad you're okay... And that you didn't... Actually die." Makoto smiled at that, hugging Hina back, "And I'm here to stay... We'll find the mastermind, together." Hina grinned, letting go and starting to skip down the hallway, "See you soon, Naegi, Togami!" And with that, the girl left.</span>
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  <span>With a sigh, Makoto finally shut the door, sighing. Before he was able to turn around, two arms tightly wrapped around his waist, "Naegi... Come on." The blond mumbled.</span>
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  <span>     “H-Hey. I can’t ‘come on’ if you’re holding me.” The brunette mumbled</span>
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<hr/>
<p><span><br/></span><span>     “... We slept in our clothes,” Makoto said, looking into the bathroom mirror. Examining his face, he looked like shit. He still had eyebags, and he had just a few too many bruises. “I may have mixed feelings on Kirigiri, but… I suppose I can appreciate her for coming for us.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“Yeah! I knew she would…” </span><span><br/></span><span>“Then again, we are the only other reasonable people in this… Horrendous situation. I doubt Asahina or Hagakure would’ve been of any help. I doubt she came for us for any other reason.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“No, that’s wrong! She came because we’re friends. I’m sure of it.” He gave another warm smile, taking the other boy’s hands in his own. “You’re too trusting for your own good, Naegi.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“Makoto is fine ‘Kuya-” Byakuya’s only response was a scoff. Despite his nature, the smirk he held was warm. </span><span><br/></span><span>     “Hey, Byakuya.”</span><span><br/></span><span>     “Hm?”</span><span><br/></span><span>     “Do… Do you think we’ll really find the mastermind? That we’ll really overcome this despair…” Makoto was taken off guard when Byakuya firmly- Though not enough to hurt- grabbed his shoulders. “You know how I feel about stupid questions. I am certain we will.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“... Yeah, you’re right! I know we’ll do it.” He paused, pressing his lips together, “Can I ask why you’re certain? At the start of the killing game, you said you would come out on top… But here we are, working together.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“You.”</span><span><br/></span><span>“Huh?”</span><span><br/></span><span>“You’re the reason,” Makoto’s eyes were wide, looking innocently up at Byakuya.</span><br/><br/>“You are my hope, Makoto Naegi.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow. This is really over with.<br/>Part of the reason we didn't update sooner was just a struggle to continue. My writing style changed, and I majorly improved. I also started an RP which took up a lot of time. That mixed with school didn't help either. Taiyaki and Squid on-call would often result in "Oh yeah, remember the disappearance fic? We need to finish that". I'd go to write, and then stop after 15 minutes of struggling to continue. <br/>I'm honestly aren't very proud of this fic, it was... A lot. But, I need to appreciate what it is. It started with a young fanfic writer trying to make some brainrot. I really hope this ending wasn't too disappointing, I know you all waited a while. If you really did enjoy this, please do stick around. We'll hopefully have more fanfics coming soon, ones that are actually written better and won't take months to update ;P Not just naegami, but still a lot of naegami. Taiyaki has naegami brainrot 24/7. </p>
<p>We'll be posting more soon, so go ahead and follow here and maybe check out our Tumblr if you're interested. And finally, thank you. To those who waited for an update. To anyone who enjoyed this, or even just read it. Your comments, every kudos I got, it was so exciting. I cannot express all the gratitude I feel towards you all.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hoo boy,,, Can't wait for the next chapter. Hopefully we'll be updating soon- We're trying our hardest!<br/>Hope you enjoyed!<br/>~Taiyakisquid</p></blockquote></div></div>
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